Sand-box.



No. 870,101. PATENTBD NOV. 5', 1907..

b. G. HENSLBY.

. SAND BOX.

APPLIGATION HLED 1543.2. 1907.

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UNITED STATES PATENT essieu.

CHARLES G. HENSLEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE l I. G. BRILL COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

SAND-BOX.

No. 870,101. l

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1907'.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES G. HENSLEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sand-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to sand boxes used on railway cars, and is of the type in which the valve is a swing gate valve, adapted to swing on an axle and to control the flow of sand.

The object of my improvements is to allow of the use of a swing valve having a curved bottom made on a large arc, and so that there will be no leak of the sand when the valve is closed.

In the drawings forming part of this application, Figure l is a vertical section of my improved sand box showing the valve at normal or closed position. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the valve swung wide open. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the box and its operating means. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the valve, and Fig. G is a perspective view of the valve axle.

In the drawings of this application, I have illustrated a complete sand box with its operating mechanism, although my invention deals more particularly with the valve and its corresponding parts.

The box consists primarily of an upper reservoir l which is provided with an inturned bottom 2 having bolts 3 passing through the latter and securing it to the floor 4 of a railway car, and itis adapted to be filled with a supply of sand ready for use. This reservoir is adapted to smround an opening in the floor of the car through which the sand is fed into a hopper 5. This hopper 5 has conical walls 6 which incline inwardly to their lower ends 7, and at the upper portion there is provided a plate 8 which rests against the wall of the opening in the car floor,l and there is also provided an outwardly extending plate 9 which is secured against the under side of the car flooring. The interior of this hopper forms a continuation of the interior opening of the reservoir l and the sand from the latter is continuously fed into the hopper.

As a means for inclosing the hopper and its valve mechanism so that outside elements will not affect the contents nor the working of the valve, I provide an exterior casing lO'which surrounds the hopper below the car floor and the walls of which incline inwardly and terminate in a cylindrical mouth Il on which is provided a coupling l2, the latter being adapted to receive av hose for directing the sand to the track. The casing 10 and the plate 9 of the hopper are secured to the under side of the car flooring by the bolts 3 which alsohold the reservoir.

As a means for controlling the How of sand through the hopper, I provide a swing gate valve which is shown in perspective in Fig. 5. It consists of a circularly disposed bottom plate 13, upwardly extending plates I4 formed at each end thereof, and an interior stirring rod l5. At the upper ends of the plates I4, there is provided a journal I6 having a polygonal aperture I6u therethrough, the latter being adapted to receive a corresponding end I7 on a removable axle I8, the latter being shown in Fig. 6. The curved bottom I3 of the valve is preferably formed on the arc of a circle whose center is taken from the center of the axle 18 so that the bottom plate may be formed on an arc of considerable size. The stirring rod l5 is placed preferably nearer one side of the bottom and directed at such an angle as is shown in Fig. l, so as to cause it to move on arcs whose common centers are also at the center of the axle I8, so that when the valve is in its closed position, as is shown in Fig. 1the stirring rod will lie near one side of the hopper bottom and move across the latter when the valve is operated. By positioning the stirring rod in this manner, the upper end, as well as the lower serves to effectually stir the sand in the hopper and loosen it for discharge when the valve is opened.

My improvements particularly relate to the means for providing a proper closure between the end of the hopper and the valve so that the latter may be made as here shown, on an arc of a large circle and be free to have a considerable swing and so that the sand when the valve is closed will not be discharged by jarring or otherwise.

If the bottom plate of the valve is made to extend far enough to inclose the lower end of the hopper, the extent of the swing of the hopper is limited. I therefore provide at the lower end of the hopper, flanged projections I9 which extend outwardly therefrom and come in close proximity to ends 20 of the valve; they may be extended close enough to the latter to form a proper closure so that no sand will discharge therethrough when the valve is closed, as is shown in Fig. I. By providing a closure in this way, the valve is free to swing in the extreme direction shown in Fig. 2, and there is nothing to interfere with the fiow of sand through the hopper and valve.

I provide means for operating the valve which consists of the following:-The axles 18, heretofore referred to, are journaled at'21 in thecasing l0 of the sand box so that their ends 22 and 23 respectively, project beyond the sides of the casing. The end 23 is squared and there is fitted over it a lever 24 which is preferably secured by a pin 25. This lever 24, which is a bell crank lever having a second arm 26, extends at an angle below the axle, and there is provided a loo stationary stop 27 against which the arm 26 rests when the valve is in the position shown in Fig. l. Secured to the end oi the lever 24 is a rod 28 which extends towards an operating hand lever 29, the latter passing through the floor of the car to which it is journaled by a journal 30. The spring 3l is connected with the end ofthe lever 29 and its opposite end to the bolt 32 under the car loor, so that it will pull the lever and retain the valve in the position shown in F ig. l. I provide means for regulating the extreme throw ot the lever 24 so that the valve may be opened to any desired position at each operation of the lever and this may be adjusted to suit the requirements. I therefore provide a stop 33 on the side of the easing in which there is a screw 34 on which a set nut is provided. The lever 24 is adapted to come in Contact with the end of the screw 34 and by adjusting the latter the extent of the movement of the lever 24 may be determined,

When it is desired to operate the valve the operator pulls the upper end of the lever 29 causing stress against the action oi the spring and the action is transmitted through rod 28 and lever 24 to the swing gate valve which moves upon its axles, as shown in Fig. 2, and the sand is discharged through the hopper and through the casing. While the valve is moving, as th us described7 the mixing rod l5 loosens the sand so that it can move downwardly through the hopper. When the valve is thus moved, there is very little tendency to carry any of the sand beyond the end ot the hopper and when the valve is closed, as shown in Fig. l, there is no discharge from the hopper.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a sand box, a hopper, a swing' gate valve having a curved bottom, said valve being adapted to close the end ot' tho hopper, and outwardly extending anges on the hopper for closing the space between the end of the hopper and the said valve.

2. In a sand box, a hopper, a swing gate valve having a curved bottom adapted to lie below the end of the hopper, outwardly extending flanges on the end of the hopper adapted to close the space between the hopper and valve, the said valve being adapted to swing and open the hopper.

ln a sand box, a hopper, a swing gate valve having a bottom curved on an arc whose radius is as long as the distance between axle of the valve and the middle of the valve bottom, said valve being adapted to lie below the end of the hopper', and flanges on the hopper end adapted to close the space between the hopper and valve.

4. ln' a sand box. a hopper, a swing gate valve having' a curved bottom, said valve bottom being adapted to lie below the hopper end, a casing inclosing` the hopper and valve, and flanges on the hopper end adapted to close the space between the hopper and valve, the said valve bottom being adapted to pass the flanges.

ln a sand box, a hopper rectangular in cross section, a swing valve comprising a curved bottom adapted to lie below the end of the hopper, having upwardly extending plates adapted to inclose the hopper on two sides, and flanges on the remaining sides of the hopper adapted to extend toward and near the edges of the valve bottom to complete the inclosure of the hopper end.

Signed this 28th day of February, 1907.

CHARLES G. IIENSLEY.

Witnesses G. lim AnoNow, BLANCHE V. MOHAN. 

